Am I forgiven?
by Resha04
Summary: Minato and Aigis are a couple. But Minato's parents never agree with their relationship and paired him with Yukari, his childhood friend. How would they go through this? Not good at summary, sorry


I do NOT own Persona 3. Atlus does.

**_Song lyric_**

**Flashback**

_Thoughts_

* * *

**FORGIVEN**

_**Couldn't save you from the start**_

_**Love you so it hurts my soul**_

_**Can you forgive me for trying again?**_

_**Your silence makes me hold my breath**_

_**All the time has passed you by**_

_If that day I stopped you, maybe I could save you._

_Maybe, you would still be here now._

_Can you… forgive me, since I can never forgive myself ?_

***

She was staring blankly outside the window of the classroom when a hand touched her shoulder. She turned around to see him smiling at her, and she smiled back.

"Good morning. Early as always, Aigis."

"It's good to be at school early, Minato. At least we can finish our unfinished homeworks or borrow our classmate's."

He pulled out the chair and sat next to her, putting his school bag on the desk. "Maybe I should go to school earlier too starting tomorrow. "

"Something's wrong?" She studied his face. "Your parents… again?"

He avoided the need to answer by pulling out his notebooks and writing tools. But she knew.

"Are you really okay with this?" She asked.

"What are you talking about?" He stared at her, stopped halfway on pulling out a math book.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what we talked about few days ago."

"I told you I will not." He stared angrily at her.

She sighed. "But I don't want to see you like this. "

"I thought you said you want to be with me."

"I do! But…"

"Don't worry about me. " He ended the conversation. "I'll be fine. As long as I'm with you, I'm fine."

She didn't get the chance to reply because a brunette girl came to his desk. She smiled at him and nodded politely to her, then said,

"Minato-kun, auntie and uncle said that they want you to come right home after school today. They've got something to talk to you."

He nodded silently, not looking at her. The brunette stayed a bit longer on her spot before sighing in defeat and went back to her own desk.

"Minato…" She opened her mouth to talk but he put his finger on her lip, shaking his head.

"Don't worry," He said.

And their conversation ended there because their math teacher entered the room.

***

"Maybe you should talk to them again." She started the conversation.

It was lunchtime and they were sitting on the roof, eating lunch.

"It's useless. " He answered. Short and desperately.

"We wouldn't know unless we try."

"It's true, but they wouldn't listen. They have _ never_ listened"

"I…" She bit her lip. "I don't want to see you like this. Maybe we should end this. "

"No!" He snapped at her. "I don't want to be with anyone but you. Can you never understand that?"

"I understand, because I'm feeling the same." She touched his hand.

_Maybe that time we should have ended this_

***

_**Ooohhh, for so long I've tried to shield you from the world**_

_**Oooohhh, you couldn't face the freedom on your own**_

_**Here I am**_

_**Left in silence**_

He arrived in front of the door of her dorm that night, soaked wet with the rain. His eyes were hidden under his hair and he was panting. His breath was heavy under the rain.

"Minato?! What are you… Here, come in." She was in her pajamas, long sleeved shirt and shorts. She was relieved nobody was in the lounge. It was late at night and everybody had gone into their rooms, even Junpei, who always watched the TV until midnight.

She told him to sit down and ran to her room upstair to take some towels. She handed them to him and went to the kitchen to make tea while he dried himself. When she came back with two cups of warm tea, his eyes were still hidden under the shadow of his hair.

She sat down next to him. There were no words exchanged, but she understood. She pulled him gently to a tight hug, and stayed silent, trying to hear the unspoken words in his heart.

"It's going to be okay." She whispered softly. "Stay here as long as you want. You'll be okay. We'll be okay. Everything's going to be okay. "

She cried silently on his back.

***

_**Watch the clouds drifting away**_

_**Still the sun can't warm my face**_

_**I know it was destined to go wrong**_

_**You were looking for a greatest escape**_

_**To chase your demons away**_

"Are you free tonight?" It was Saturday. He asked her straight to the point.

She nodded. "Yes. Why?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Could you go with me tonight? I'll take you home tomorrow. "

Sensing that something was wrong, she said, "What happened?"

He shrugged half-heartedly. "Nothing. Nothing special. Just want to… be anywhere but home."

She thought about that for a moment, and finally nodded. "Okay. I'll keep you company as long as you want."

He smiled to her, and that was worth it. She smiled back with relief.

***

They were sitting on the train. But the train destination wasn't Iwatodai. For today, just for today, they would go somewhere else. Anywhere but home.

They kept silent on the way. His headphones hung loosely on his shoulders, the mp3 was turned off.

"You haven't heard your headphones these days."

"I don't have the right mood."

"So you don't update the songs too?"

"Yep."

She pulled one of his headphones, and when he looked at her questionably, she smiled. "I want to listen to your songs."

"They're just old songs."

"It's okay."

He smiled. "Let's listen together then."

He turned on the mp3. The song On My Way Down sung by Ryan Cabrera echoing in the headphones, sending its message into their heart.

They arrived outside of Iwatodai, even outside of Port Island. Now they were in a quiet little suburb town. They sat on a bench in the train station, watching the train continue its journey.

"It's been one year. " He muttered.

"What?"

"It's been one year since the first time we started this." He was smiling.

She smiled too. "Yes. I remember I was shocked when you answered my love confession with a 'yes' "

He chuckled. "Because I love you too. I was more shocked when I heard your confession."

They laughed together for a while, before he stopped, saying,

"But all this mess started this spring."

She didn't say a word. She remembered, the day he came to school. His expression that time was in a mess. Anger, shocked, sad, a refusal to believe.

"**Minato? What's wrong?"**

"**They don't understand."**

"**Who?"**

"**My parents. They… They want to pair me with Yukari."**

**Her heart skipped a beat. "Takeba Yukari-san? Your childhood friend?"**

**He nodded. "They said they would never accept our relationship. My family is in a crisis of money. My parents said our life would be guaranteed if I marry Yukari in the future. They said we've known each other for years, and her family, you know…"**

"**But…" She was at loss of words.**

"**I told them. I tried to explain. But they didn't want to listen. They said this is for the sake of my family. They even registered her here, at Gekkoukan. "**

"**She will be our classmate?!"**

"**Yes. Starting tomorrow."**

**His face was desperate. She had never seen his expression like that before. But she couldn't say anything because her heart ached.**

***

_**Ooohhh, for so long I've tried to shield you from the world**_

_**Ooohhh, you couldn't face the freedom on your own**_

_**Here I am**_

_**Left in silence**_

He took her home on Sunday morning, and they parted at the dorm's front door.

"See you tomorrow. " She had this uneasy feeling, she didn't want to let him go. But she couldn't say anything.

He nodded. "Oh, and my headphones and mp3, I'll entrust them to you for a while."

"Is it really okay?" Her eyebrow raised. "Wouldn't you be lonely without them?"

"I'll be okay." He smiled at her. "I'm not a little child, Aigis. Besides, I want you to enjoy the songs too. You seemed to like them."

She waited for him to turn away from her and walk home, but instead of doing so, he leaned close and much to her surprise, he kissed her.

Of course they had kissed once before, but they were not the type of couple who would be kissing often, much more at the public. The heat was raised to her face. But she returned the kiss.

When he finally released her, he smiled again to her and turned away, walking home. She fought the urge to break down crying and call his name, because that uneasy feeling still hadn't gone away. But she just bit her lip, feeling tears streaming down her face.

***

_**You gave up the fight, You left me behind**_

_**All that's done's forgiven**_

_**You'll always be mine, I know deep inside**_

_**All that stands forgiven**_

When she arrived at school that morning, the classroom was in a big fuss. Everyone was talking about something. Some seemed shocked, the others were crying. Something was wrong.

"Aigis! " Yamagishi Fuuka, her dormmate from the neighbouring class approached her. Her face was filled with worry, no, more than that, sadness.

"Fuuka-san, what happened? What is everyone talking about?"

"You haven't heard?" Tears flowing down her face.

Aigis felt her heart heavy. That uneasy feeling yesterday, oh God…

"Is this about Minato?"

The small girl nodded. "He… He was found dead this morning. A gunshot wound to the chest, died because of bloodlost. "

***

She couldn't register the words on her mind, even when she was back at her dorm. Everyone at the dorm were silent. There were not many of them. Just Junpei, Fuuka, and Akihiko. They didn't say a word. They knew Minato. Junpei was his best friend. Akihiko was the senior he respected. And Fuuka, they hadn't have much chat, but she said that he was a nice guy and she felt comfortable around him.

She had to… she had to see him. What if it wasn't him? What if it was just a misunderstanding? She threw her schoolbag to the sofa and ran outside, ignoring the call from her dormmates. She ran and ran, until she saw that house. The police cars were parked outside. She almost reached the front gate when someone called out to her.

"Aigis-san!" It was Amada Ken, their young friend from Gekkoukan elementary school and was his neighbour.

"Amada-kun!" She stopped halfway, as he approached her.

"What are you doing here, Aigis-san? You know what Minato-san's parents will do if they see you, right?"

"Amada-kun, that's not true, right?" She shook him. "He… he couldn't have died, could he?"

The boy turned his face away, avoiding her gaze. "I don't know the details, but I heard some of the polices' conversation. They suspected it was a robber's act. That night, his parents were out to Takeba-san's house so his house was empty. They said maybe there was a robber and Minato-san saw him, so…"

His voice became smaller. Her knees fell under her body and she sat helplessly on the street.

A robber? He died because a robber? What the hell with that conclusion? Something was wrong, something wasn't match here.

"Did they find the gun?" Her voice was hollow as she asked that.

Ken shook his head. "They suspected that the culprit is still carrying it."

"Something isn't right, Amada-kun." She said.

"What isn't right?"

"A robber, a normal robber, wouldn't carry a gun. They usually carry a knife."

"Aigis-san, I know this is hard, but…"

"Amada-kun, where did they find him?"

"In his room, on the second floor."

"Why didn't the robber just jump out of the window then?" She knew something wasn't right. "It would be easier and saver than shoot someone."

Ken didn't said a word, but his face showed an understanding.

"Why did the culprit carry the gun, not just leave it on the place? Was the culprit, afraid that he would be recognized from the gun?"

***

She was late home tonight. But everyone were still in the lounge, waiting for her. She closed the door behind her, and sat down.

"Ai-chan, you 'kay?" Junpei was the first to ask.

She nodded. "Something wasn't right. Too many holes."

"What do you mean, Aigis?" Fuuka asked her with small voice.

She still refused the fact they gave her saying that he was killed by a robber. She told them what she had suspected. About the gun which a robber _unusually_ carried away, about the fact that the robber didn't choose to escape, but choose to shoot someone instead.

Akihiko seemed to be thinking hard. "What you said is true, Aigis. But what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Minato wasn't killed by a robber. It was someone else." She tried to keep her tone straight.

"But who?" Everyone was looking at her.

"That is what I will find out." She rose from her seat and went upstair to her room, ending the conversation.

***

She noticed it when she woke up that morning, earlier than usual. There was a voice mail for her in the mailbox. She turned off her cellphone that night when she got home, so maybe the caller was connected to the voice mailbox. When she opened it, she had to listen to it three times to make sure that her ears weren't deceiving her. The voice mail was from Minato, around the time he was killed. The voices couldn't be heard clearly, she could just make out some words.

Don't. Do. That. Leave. Me. Alone.

Then the voice of gunshot, once. After that, maybe the button was pressed with something, the voice mail ended. She couldn't believe what she just heard. One of the voices, she could barely recognize it, but the high pitch of it, it was…

***

She asked the girl to meet her after school, at school's backyard.

The recording of the voice mail was in her cellphone. The brunette girl came, her brown eyes red from tears and filled with worry.

Strange enough, Aigis couldn't cry anymore. She could see that Takeba Yukari had been crying these days, but she wondered why she didn't.

"Takeba-san, I want to talk to you about something."

"What is that?" Her voice was trembling.

"This." She turned on the recording.

Hearing that, Yukari's eyes widened in terror. "Where…"

"Could you explain this to me, Takeba-san? Everything." She was trying to suppress her anger.

The brunette girl broke down crying, and her words came out uncontrollably. "That night, after my archery practice, I didn't come right home. I went to Minato-kun's house. I hoped to see him there. Indeed I met him. But from his face, I knew that he was just back from seeing you."

Her cry became louder, but Aigis didn't even flinch.

"I asked him, couldn't he love me just like how he loved you? I don't care if that takes years. But he said that he couldn't. He loved me, but just as a childhood friend, no more."

Usually, in normal condition, Aigis would feel sympathy for her. But now was different. She kept silent, urging the girl to continue.

"I was so desperate. I loved him so much. I couldn't bear to see that he would never do. I…I took out my father's gun I took from his drawer. I was trying to shoot myself, but he stepped forward. He was trying to take the gun from me. But I…"

"You fought him back?" Her voice was steely cold.

The brunette nodded. "It was an accident! I accidentally pulled the trigger when we were fighting and… and…"

There was a long silence, only filled with Yukari's sobs.

"Why didn't you call help that time?" She could barely maintain her pressure. "He was still alive that time. He didn't die instantly. If you had called for help, maybe he would still be alive now."

"I-I was scared! So scared! Even though it was an accident, I was the one who pulled the trigger, I could have been accused for shooting someone or even killing!" Her trembling became harder.

At that moment, Aigis could not maintain her anger anymore. She slapped Yukari, hard. The tears began flowing down. The tears she had been holding these days.

"You're really a BITCH!" She yelled at her. "If you had called help that time, he would have still been saved. He died because… because such a JERK reason!"

Yukari was still crying too, her shoulders trembling with shock, sadness, and maybe fear. Aigis bit her lip, eyes filled with absolute hate.

"I'd asked Sanada-senpai for confirmation, and Kurosawa-san for a deeper investigation. They had identificated the bullet's and your father gun's match. Maybe your parents would try to protect you, but this recording is a strong evidence."

She turned and walked away, ignoring the loud sobbing behind her. She didn't want this girl, whom she hated so much now, see her break down.

***

_**I've been so lost since you've gone**_

_**Why not me before you, why did fate deceive me?**_

_**Everything's turned out so wrong**_

_**Why did you leave me in silence?**_

With Kurosawa's help, the bullet and the gun had been proved matched. Even the fingerprints of both Yukari and Minato were still on the gun since Yukari's father hadn't touched that gun for a while.

The police interrogated Yukari, and she told them all the truth. The recording came for evidence too. They said because it was an accident, she wouldn't be punished too hard, but she didn't care. She had uncovered the truth.

Even now, 3 years after that incident, her tears would still flowing down if she remembered about that. Maybe that night he had known, That's why he gave her his songs. If she had stopped him from coming home that day, maybe he would be here now, by her side.

But it's no use to regret something that had happened. He was the one to taught her that. Now, the question was still echoing in her heart.

_Am I forgiven? For not being able to prevent your death?_

When she put on the headphones and turned on the mp3 that hadn't been used these 3 years, she heard the first song and her tears flowing down as she got the answer of her question.

_**You gave up the fight, you left me behind**_

_**All that's done's forgiven**_

_**You'll always be mine, I know deep inside**_

_**All that stands forgiven**_

_**-Forgiven, by Within Temptation-**_

* * *

**A/N:**

A one-shot songfic for MinatoxAigis.

Sorry if it's so lame.

The song used is _Forgiven _by _Within Temptation_. You could try to hear it. It is a beautiful and sad song.

Almost forgot. The setting in this fic is a normal world. No shadows, no persona, no dark hour. Aigis is a human, and Minato's parents are still alive.

I forgot to mention Mitsuru here ^^;.

For Yukari's fans or MinatoxYukari fans, I'm sorry because I hate her, so I made her look bad here.

Thank you for the reviews and critics.


End file.
